After the Flood/Part 3
Chapter description :Shrewtooth yowls and stretches by the river, and Leafstar, from her den, asks if he was hurt in the battle last night. Shrewtooth has a gray leaf-like pattern on his haunch, and as Leafstar approaches him, he says that he is fine. He complains that Sol kept him up last night, rolling in something that smells, and turns and looks at his leg. Shrewtooth realizes why his eyes were watering, and he exclaims that Sol must have tracked the stinky leaves by his nest. He announces that he will swim to get rid of the scent, and he jumps into the river. Leafstar asks a small group of cats who walk by if they have seen Sol that morning, but none of them have. Waspwhisker grumbles that he would be fine with Sol being gone, but Leafstar chides him that Sol is very committed to finding her kits. The gray-and-white warrior snorts that he is probably interested in finding an easy source of food. :Throughout the day, search parties are sent, and Leafstar is thankful that at least no buzzards are seen. She believes that her kits are alive, but that she must find them. She spots Sol walking, and asks if he was out searching again. Sol responds that he unsuccessfully tried to catch squirrels, and Leafstar can still smell some of the foul-smelling leaves Shrewtooth had complained about. As she walks by the river, head down miserably, she decides that she will ask Sol where the leaves were to avoid them herself. Billystorm comes up to Leafstar and asks if she is going out again. Leafstar sadly responds that the last party was unsuccessful, and she has no other choice, but Billystorm tells her that she fought a hard battle yesterday, and must not have rested for days. He reassures her that their kits have enough sense to seek shelter in the night, wherever they are, and promises that they will be found more easily in daylight. :Leafstar is too tired to argue, but gets suspicious when she sees Sol go up the gorge, and Shrewtooth crouches in some bushes, watching him. Sol goes into the forest, Shrewtooth following him, and Leafstar stalks after the two, wondering where they are going. Leafstar is surprised when they reach the abandoned Twoleg den, and wonders why they came, and why Shrewtooth is stalking Sol like prey. Sol goes into a bush, and tells some little ones that he is back. Leafstar watches in horror as a voice says that they are bored, asking when they will get to go home. Sol responds that Leafstar doesn't want them back yet because she is still rebuilding their den. Someone inside the bush voices disappointment, and Sol chides them for not eating the mouse he brought them. From the bush comes the response that they don't like it, as the ones their mother catches taste better. Sol crawls out of the bush, growling behind him that they can starve, calling them ungrateful. :When Sol ducks out of the bush, he is surprised to encounter Shrewtooth, who bristles. Leafstar's kits leave the den, interested, and exclaim that Shrewtooth is visiting them. Sol springs at Shrewtooth, who exclaims that he knew he was hiding something. Shrewtooth realizes that Sol smeared himself with the leaves to hide the kits' scent, and Sol tells him that he is too smart for his own good. Shrewtooth slashes Sol's muzzle, but Sol stands over Shrewtooth, preparing to bite him. Leafstar comes in and rams her body against Sol's, pushing him off of Shrewtooth. The tortoiseshell tom swipes at Leafstar, taunting her, and asking her to prove that she can beat him. Leafstar tells him to shut up and kicks his leg, leaving Sol to yowl. Sol springs above Leafstar's head, and Leafstar orders Shrewtooth to bring everyone. The black tom runs away, and Leafstar bites down on Sol's hind foot, causing him to howl in pain again. Leafstar slams down on Sol’s back, crushing him to the ground, and Sol grunts. :Leafstar asks her kits, who are hiding in the bushes, if they are alright, and Stormkit answers that they are. Harrykit wonders if Sol did something wrong, but Leafstar orders them to be quiet and stay where they are. Leafstar puts her face close to Sol's and demands to know what he is doing. Sol gets up and explains that he wanted to prove that he could be a warrior, by finding the kits. Leafstar exclaims that he stole them in the first place, and Sol protests that it was the only way to make the Clan take him seriously. Leafstar thinks that's absurd, and Sol exclaims that he is always overlooked, never given respect, and scorned because he was formerly a kittypet. The tom repetitiously slams his foot on the ground, and whines that he can be a warrior. :Leafstar narrows her eyes and growls that he can't be a warrior because, as shown by his actions, he has no understanding of the warrior code at all. She tells him that he risked the lives of very young kits by leaving them alone, when anything could have happened to them. Leafstar says that her kits could have died, and circles around to stand in front of Sol, growling that he betrayed her as well as the entire Clan. She unsheathes her claws and bristles, hissing that he did all of it without considering how it would make any of them feel. Leafstar tells Sol that the Clan is a community and family, but he is incapable of thinking about anyone but himself. She banishes him from SkyClan, stating that he has betrayed her trust, the warrior code, and everything she thought he believed in. :Enraged, Sol unsheathes his claws and bristles, snarling that he will tell her a few things, but is interrupted by Sharpclaw, who comes with a group of five other warriors, and orders him to go ahead and tell them how things are supposed to be. Sol stammers, but Shrewtooth, Sharpclaw, and Billystorm surround him, and Billystorm growls that Sol is leaving and never coming back. Leafstar's kits bound up to Leafstar, and she nuzzles them. Sol snarls that Billystorm has no right to talk, and that the concept of daylight-warriors is pathetic. Billystorm announces that he is no longer going to be a daylight-warrior, and that his place is in the gorge from then on. He says that when the Clan fought the rogues, they proved that no cat is leaving the gorge until StarClan calls them. Leafstar asks her mate if he is sure, and Billystorm confirms it. Leafstar, Billystorm, and her kits stand together, and Firekit mews that she knew they would make up. Stormkit playfully tells her to shut up, and calls her a know-it-all. :Sol says that, as the rogues had stated, SkyClan are pathetic, and asks if they really think the warrior code would save them from another disaster. He growls that they may think their warrior ancestors will save them, but that they might be wrong. He turns around, claiming that SkyClan will only be as strong as the weakest kit or oldest elder, and he curses all Clans for their foolishness. As Sol walks away, Billystorm frets that Sol will come back, but as the Clan cats stand together and Leafstar's kits play, Leafstar growls that he can just try. Characters Major *Shrewtooth *Sol }} Minor *Unnamed solid-colored SkyClan cat *Unnamed SkyClan tabby *Honeypaw (Unnamed) *Billystorm *Firekit (Unnamed) *Stormkit (Unnamed) *Harrykit (Unnamed) *Sharpclaw (Unnamed) *Patchfoot (Unnamed) *Petalnose (Unnamed) *Echosong (Unnamed) }} Important events *Shrewtooth finds Leafstar's kits. *Sol is banished from SkyClan. Notes and references Category:Graphic novel arc Category:Chapter subpages Category:SkyClan and the Stranger Category:After the Flood